Who Is Considered a Good Candidate for Stem Cell Treatment?
Advances in technology are taking the medical community by storm and it seems like you hear of new treatments almost every day. Among the most successful of all, is stem cell treatment. Stem cell treatments can successfully treat several conditions.
Stem cell treatment is a form of regenerative medicine used to treat arthritis, tendon and ligament injuries, and even muscle injuries. It involves injecting stem cells into the injured area and allowing the body to heal itself while simultaneously reducing pain.
Patients often wonder who is considered a good candidate for stem cell treatment. Here’s what you need to know.
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Active Patients with Musculoskeletal Injuries
Some of the best candidates for stem cell treatment are patients with an active lifestyle. Those who are consistently active or play sports are inevitably injured at some point. Stem cell treatment is an ideal minimally invasive approach to treating musculoskeletal injuries in active patients.
It is often used to successfully treat conditions like tennis elbow, rotator cuff and ligament tears, and even frozen shoulder. Patients who want to avoid invasive surgery and long recovery time also make great patients for stem cell treatment. Stem cell treatment as regenerative medicine allows patients to get back to their active lives quickly and free of pain.
Patients with Osteoarthritis of the Hip
Hip replacement surgery is invasive and the recovery time can involve months of physical therapy but that doesn’t stop Americans from enduring nearly 400,000 hip replacement surgeries annually. The average age of those patients ranges from 64 – 66 years old and a surgery like that can be traumatic for them.
Fortunately, stem cell treatment can help regrow the tissue in the hip that seems to degenerate over time. It is used to successfully treat arthritis of the hip and greater trochanteric bursitis among other conditions. This holistic approach to repairing the hip is much less invasive and easier for the patient to endure. Patients also see a reduction in their pain as their condition gets better.
Patients with Knee Pain
As people age, the cartilage in their knees starts to deteriorate. Sometimes there may be a meniscus or ligament tear. These are painful conditions that can take months to heal with traditional therapies. When patients get a recommendation for knee replacement surgery from their doctor, they may make good potential candidates for stem cell treatment.
Not every patient who requires knee replacement surgery is an ideal candidate for stem cell treatment but many of them are. When there is a deterioration of cartilage in the knee which causes enough pain to affect the activities of daily living, patients may benefit from stem cell treatment.
Stem Cell Treatment as Regenerative Medicine
Stem cell treatment is a noninvasive form of regenerative medicine that can help patients heal through a range of injuries. Patients with musculoskeletal, cartilage, and tendon injuries specifically tend to benefit the most. They avoid painful invasive surgeries and long recovery time while healing their injuries and reducing overall pain with stem cell treatment. Stem cell treatment isn’t for everyone, but many people can benefit from this regenerative advance in medical technology.